Your client wants to recover damages f
or breach of contract and demands that you assert as many causes of action as possible. In addition to the breach cause of action, you consider a declaratory judgment claim, right? Wrong! The Second Department has held time and time again that “[a] cause of action for a
Second Department Allows Untimely Claims to Relate Back to Action Brought By Wrong Plaintiff
Can substitution of a new plaintiff who has proper standing cause “surprise or prejudice” to a defendant after the statute of limitations would have expired, such that leave to file an amended complaint should be denied? Not if the two plaintiffs are the same person switching from their individual to representative capacity, held the Second…
Court Confirms Arbitration Award Against Respondent Who Failed to Check Her Mail
A recent decision out of the Suffolk County Commercial Division underscores the importance of staying on top of your mail if you plan on leaving New York for an extended period of time. Last week, in Matter of New Brunswick Theological Seminary v Van Dyke, 2018 NY Slip Op 51204(U), Justice Emerson confirmed…
Court Says Uber Makes Things Difficult But Not “Impossible” for NYC Taxis
I made two observations coming out of Grand Central Station during my morning commute last week. First, the city really stinks after a string of oppressively hot and humid summer days. Second, there appears to be a temporary taxi stand, perhaps occasioned by the ongoing construction of the new One Vanderbilt building, just outside…
Court cannot search the record on claims not the subject of the motion, or can it?
The Appellate Division, in a short but direct ruling, reminds the bench and bar that courts cannot simply “search the record” and grant summary judgment on claims or defenses that are not the subject of the motion. It did so this time in the context of an LLC judicial dissolution action pending in the Commercial…
Personal Jurisdiction Over Japanese Airplane Entities Does Not Fly in New York County
In a recent decision, Justice Scarpulla of the New York County Commercial Division declined to exercise personal jurisdiction over several Japanese entities, and even imposed sanctions on the plaintiff for attempting to relitigate its already-decided claims in New York.
Defendant ANA Aircraft Technics, Co., Ltd. (“ANA Technics”) maintained a fleet of airplanes owned and…
Universal Obtains More Than It Bargained For in Dealings with Cash Money Records: Potential Liability for Unpaid Drake Profits
For those unfamiliar with what today’s young kids are listening to, Aubrey “Drake” Graham is one of the most commercially-successful recording artists of all time, with multiple multiple-platinum records to his credit. For frame of reference, Drake’s recent album “Scorpion,” on its first day of release, was streamed over 300 million times on Apple Music…
Doping Suit Brought by Vijay Singh: Appellate Division Affirms Denial of PGA Tour’s Motion

In May 2013, professional golfer Vijay Singh (“Singh”) brought suit against PGA Tour, an organizer of the leading men’s professional golf tours and events in North America, in Vijay Singh v. PGA Tour, Inc. PGA Tour enacted an Anti-Doping Program, which prohibits golfers from using certain substances. The list of prohibited substances was adopted…
Proposed Amendment to Commercial Division Rules Aims to Make Mediation More Effective
Commercial Division litigators often hope that mediation will lead to a negotiated settlement, but their expectation – based on their prior experience – is that it will not. In this sense, mediation seems to have significant unrealized potential as a settlement tool in the Commercial Division.
A new proposal of the ADR Committee of…
Be Prepared to Upgrade to Commercial Division 2.0 – at Least in Westchester County
Several weeks ago we remarked on the Commercial Division’s renowned efficiency and innovativeness when it comes to proposing and adopting new and amended practice rules. But this isn’t the only area in which the Commercial Division is on the cutting edge of innovation.
Last week, members of the Commercial and Federal Litigation Section’s Committee on…